♡ YAY OR NO WAY?: STORYBOOK COSMETICS MEAN GIRLS PALETTE ♡

"I'm not like a regular blogger. I'm a cool blogger."

Since making their debut with the Internet-famous "Harry Potter" Palette as well as the matching wizard wand eyeshadow brushes, Storybook Cosmetics has used makeup to revive numerous childhood favorites, including The Secret Garden, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and now, in an official partnership with Paramount Pictures, Mean Girls. This palette, which has also been referred to as the Burn Book Palette, is the company's first step away from their previously literature-specific product line; while it was these products' nostalgia-inducing nod to childhood memories that first attracted the attention of the makeup community, the November 1st launch of the Burn Book may have drawn an even larger crowd than did that of the Harry Potter Palette.

As much hype surrounds these homages to such cult classics, however, it seems that Storybook Cosmetics are still in the process of establishing themselves as a more mainstream makeup brand. This, then, leaves us asking the following question: Are these products as magical as they seem?

This being my first purchase from Storybook Cosmetics, I had no idea what to expect; regardless, there was no way for me not to be excited for a Mean Girls-inspired palette, and as soon as I found out that it had been delivered to my campus's mail building, I knew I had to pick it up and dig into it immediately. Unsurprisingly, this frenzied "play" led to swatches galore as well as an eyeshadow look for which I used only shadows from this palette. If either of these things sound enticing to you, or if you would simply like to see how the shades from this palette perform, just keep on scrolling!

♡ WHAT YOU SEE ♡  

If you're anything like me and are a sucker for pretty, fun packaging, this is already the palette for you; after all, what would the Burn Book Palette be if it didn't look exactly like the real deal? As you can see in these attached photos, the front and back of the palette are almost identical to the Burn Book of the movie, down to the tiniest details such as subtle singes as well as the amount of lipstick marks on either of the palette's sides. As if that wasn't enough for you, the palette also actually resembles a book in that it is much thicker than most other palettes (while still remaining lightweight) and has white, lined sides to look like book pages. Overall, it's safe to say that the Storybook Cosmetics sisters don't play when it comes to both packaging and authenticity.

RIP Legend

Not only is the Burn Book Palette a work of art in and of itself, it also comes encased in a whimsical velvet drawstring pouch alongside an adorable bookmark; this demonstrates how far above and beyond this company is willing to go both for their product quality and for their customers and their experiences with the products. So, already, any expectations that I have been able to conjure up are being exceeded.

The Burn Book, which contains twelve .043 ounce "matte, shimmer, and pearl" shadows, retails for $55 USD before shipping and handling expenses and is currently available only on the Storybook Cosmetics website. When asked about this palette's longevity, the Storybook staff have said that it will be available for purchase for as long as their partnership with Paramount stands. 

♡ WHAT YOU GET ♡ 

LEFT TO RIGHT: Is Butter a Carb?, Grool, Glen Coco, So Fetch, Wednesday, She Doesn't Even Go Here, The Plastics, Regina George, Mouse... Duh, You Can't Sit With Us, Cool Mom, October 3rd

♡ TOP 4:

• 4. OCTOBER 3RD: Admittedly, I was definitely not expecting to like this shade as much as I do, largely due to the fact that I am rarely impressed by black eyeshadows, especially ones that contain glitter. October 3rd, however, is so much more different from your typical glittery black shadow in that it is almost shockingly pigmented; the black base is completely opaque and doesn't streak at all, and the glitter actually sticks with the shadow and does not fall off or fade away when applied to the skin, both of which are common issues I have with other black glitters. The only "complaint" I have about this shade is that I personally am not sure of how often I would use it, as this isn't at all a color I reach for regularly, but I am honestly willing to take a step or two out of my comfort zone to give it the chance it deserves. All in all, I think that the quality of this shade is enough to impress Aaron Samuels without having to sacrifice your math grade.
• 3. GROOL: I don't think that there could be a more perfect name for this shade; the quality of its texture and pigmentation are beyond great, and its bright, shimmery lime color payoff is totally cool. If there's anything that I don't like about Grool, though, it's that it is subject to some slight clumping or chunking when applied with heavy pressure. To prevent this while still achieving that intense pigmentation, I suggest packing the shadow onto your lid with a flat shader brush rather than fluffing or blending it out so that you get a better chance of smoothing out any chunkiness. 
• 2. WEDNESDAY: This palette would be incomplete without the perfect shadow to wear on the best day of the week (or, for me, every day of the week). However, rather than simply throwing an average Joe light pink into the palette and calling it a day, the sisters of Storybook Cosmetics made Wednesday stand out as its own, unique shade by making it a rich, highly pigmented hot pink. Wednesday also offers an even, streak-free application, allowing for an effortless yet deep, attention-grabbing look that can make any eye color pop. 
• 1. MOUSE... DUH: As with October 3rd, I was more than shocked about how in love I am with this shade, especially considering how little I wear silver on my lid. Having said that, I am hard pressed to find anything not to like about it; its creamy, buttery texture provides the dreamiest metallic payoff that is pigmented enough to conceal your darkest secrets. I think that Mouse... Duh would look beautiful on the lid for a half cut crease or as an interesting spin on an inner corner highlight. Honestly, though, it's such a beautiful shade that you could apply it to anything and it would look good. 

♡ BOTTOM 2:

• 2. REGINA GEORGE: I know that I'm committing social suicide by putting the shade named after the Queen Bee herself in the bottom, and admittedly, there's not really anything that's bad about the shade itself, which is a smooth, duochrome peachy-gold. That being said, despite how flashy this color may be overall, it is very close to my skin tone, and I believe that I could get much more use out of it as a highlighter rather than an eyeshadow. 
• 1. THE PLASTICS: This shade is the only one of all twelve that was truly disappointing for me. I don't really expect much from white eyeshadows to begin with, as I typically only ever use them as brightening bases for more vivid shades, but The Plastics gives off such a chalky and patchy swatch that I think it would hurt more than help anything I would try to apply over it. Furthermore, it's such a stark white shade that I can't see myself using it as a brow bone highlight either. I can definitely understand why this color was included in this palette, as there would probably be a noticeable lack without it, but for me, personally, it's not a shadow I'll be reaching for regularly.

♡ WHAT I DID ♡ 

I didn't realize how similar this look was to the one that I made for my Too Faced Clover Palette review until I was halfway through with it, so I apologize if that's disappointing to you, but I was actually really pleased with how this one turned out. What impressed me the most about how the Burn Book shadows perform on the lid is how dreamily they blended out without losing their pigmentation; I didn't really find myself needing to reapply any of these colors after buffing away harsh lines, which is something that I usually struggle with when it comes to eyeshadow.

For this look, I first put You Can't Sit With Us in my crease as my transition color before deepening it up with Wednesday. Then, I blended She Doesn't Even Go Here in my outer corner and Is Butter a Carb? in the in the inner third, using So Fetch to marry the two together. I also buffed So Fetch into my lower lash line to tie the eye together.

♡♡♡

I think that it goes without saying that the Burn Book Palette has earned a huge YAY from me; I find it to be an exciting palette with fun, vivid colors that I didn't really have in my collection before, but it's not so wacky that I can't use it on a regular basis. If you're wanting to try something new and need a palette to spice up your everyday makeup look, the Burn Book is the one for you, so long as you're willing to spend a little extra cash. Also, as the holiday season steadily approaches, this would make the fetchest gift for the Mean Girls fan in your life.

Is there anything about this palette that would make me advise against purchasing it? Sure. Like with the Too Faced Clover Palette, I would not suggest the Burn Book for anyone who does not often wear funky, technicolored eyeshadows, or even for anyone who wants to start wearing funky eyeshadows but does not know how they feel about them,  as it would be a steep price point for something that wouldn't offer a lot of use.

All in all, I personally love this palette to bits and pieces and am so excited to have gotten my hands on it, and I can't wait to play around more with these colors. For my first experience with Storybook Cosmetics, I would absolutely call this a success, and I'm definitely excited for what they have planned for the future, which includes both a Hunger Games Palette and even a Care Bears Palette. This first cinema-inspired palette of theirs, though, has me thinking that I would love to someday see a Clueless project in the works...

That's a wrap from me on the Storybook Cosmetics Mean Girls Burn Book Palette (what a mouthful)! If there's any part of this palette that I didn't get to and that you still have questions about, or if you just want to say how you're feeling about Storybook Cosmetics, please don't hesitate to leave a comment below or visit our Instagram @LaSalleBelle. Thanks so much again for spending time with me here at La Salle Belle, and I'll talk to you again soon in my next post!

Avec l'amour,

Bella ♡